WVU will follow Gov. Bob Wise’s proclamation ordering state flags displayed at half staff in honor of Sgt. Gene Arden Vance, Jr. of Morgantown. Sgt. Vance, 38, a special forces soldier with the West Virginia National Guard, was killed Sunday (May 19) in Afghanistan. He is a former WVU student, who attended WVU off and on from 1991-1995 and had re-enrolled in fall 2001. The flags will be displayed at half staff from May 20 through the day of the burial.